Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has long faced accusations of stifling the media and persecuting political opponents. Read more at straitstimes.com.

The Azerbaijani government has ordered the suspension of BBC News' Azerbaijani operation in the capital city, Baku.The BBC said in a statement on Thursday that it had made the "reluctant decision" to close its office in the country after receiving a verbal instruction from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In a statement, the BBC said it had made the “reluctant decision” to close its office in the country after receiving a verbal instruction from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “We deeply regret this restrictive move against press freedom,